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Newsome hits game-winning shot for Lady Mustangs

Newsome hits buzzer beater with 1.5 seconds left

Sun-News Report

Posted:
01/04/2014 05:09:37 PM MST

SILVER CITY >> It was a similar position that the Western New Mexico University women's basketball team has found themselves in before. With the game down to the last possession, the Lady Mustangs turned to junior point guard RaTanya Newsome. With eight seconds left and the game tied, Newsome brought the ball the length of the court and hit a running jump shot right in front of the basket that rolled in with 1.5 seconds left giving WNMU the thrilling 65-63 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference victory over Regis University on Friday night.

"We have been snake-bitten a little bit, as we have really struggled with situational basketball late in games," second-year head coach Rusty Kennedy said. "We have had about four games that could have gone either way and just weren't able to find a way to execute. But it was nice to get one tonight RaTanya made a nice play and getting out with a win was a relief."

Regis (5-5, 3-3 RMAC) looked to be in control ahead by six with 4:36 to play. WNMU (5-7, 2-5 RMAC) would answer back with a 5-0 run that was engineered by junior center Stephanie Moore who hit a pair from the line and then completed a three-point play for a 58-57 Rangers lead with three minutes to play.

Regis would push the lead back to three, but a Kim Clark jumper in the paint in traffic with 1:44 on the clock boosted WNMU in front, 61-60. After the Rangers split a pair from the line to tie the game with 49 seconds, Moore would drain two more from the line after collecting a key offensive rebound for a 63-61 WNMU lead with 28 seconds to play. Tae'Lor Purdy, who led all-scorers with 27 points, hit two from the line after getting fouled on an in-bounds pass to re-tie the game at 63 with eight seconds to play.

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That left the ball in the hands of the Lady Mustangs and Newsome who glided down the court for the game-winner.

Early on, RU held a five-point lead five minutes in. Moore put WNMU in front two minutes later with a pair from the line for a 10-9 lead with 13:26 to play in the opening half.

The Rangers would then push their lead to the largest of the night at 17-10 with 9:11 to go in the first half. WNMU would play strong the rest of the half outscoring Regis by seven to tie the game at 30 at the break on a layup by Newsome.

The Lady Mustangs held the early four-point lead in the second half a pair of times with the last coming at 17:02 to play on a jumper by Clark three minutes in. From that point on, the teams would either trade leads or tie until RU would go in front by six with 4:36 to play to setup the back-and-forth finish.

Moore ended up leading the way for WNMU with 17 points, going 9-of-9 from the free throw line, along with seven rebounds. Newsome posted 16 points after going 8-of-12 from the floor and Clark also reached double-figures with 11.